22 August 2014
A new study from Iran suggests that inhaled corticosteroids in combination with vitamin D supplementation could improve airway functions in patients with mild to moderate persistent asthma.
The randomized controlled trial tested pulmonary functions (forced expiratory volume in one second) and measured blood vitamin D concentrations of 130 patients with mild to moderate persistent asthma, aged 10 to 50 years, who used an inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) alone or in combination with vitamin D (a single dose of 100,000 IU injected intramuscularly plus 50,000 IU orally per week) for 24 weeks (1). The study results showed that after 24 weeks the pulmonary function of the patients who had also received vitamin D was significantly better than the lung function of the patients who used only asthma medication.
The researchers commented that there seem to be synergistic effects of vitamin D supplementation and to asthma controllers on airway functions. Vitamin D is hypothesized to have some roles in innate and adaptive immunity, inflammation reduction, and remodeling (2). Therefore, it is supposed to affect the asthma phenotype, severity, and response to inhaled corticosteroids.
10 September 2015
A new study has shown that, after a four-week daily high dose intervention, fish oils, fish oil ethyl esters and krill oil have almost the same bioavailability in red blood cells and plasma when levels of EPA and DHA are matched. There was no evidence that the high phospholipid content or antioxidant content of krill oil improved the bioavailability of EPA and DHA.
7 November 2014
Researchers in Canada have developed a novel method to test for vitamin B12 deficiency with a single drop of blood.
12 October 2011
Unlike other studies, a new US trial claims that daily supplementation with high doses of vitamin E over years may increase the risk of developing prostate cancer.
